My Happy Ending
by Abori Chan
Summary: Kikyou took up the jewel in her hands, studying it. She had never doubted its wish fulfilling potency, but now she was not so sure. When she finally stepped out of her cocoon, there was a victorious smile on her face. She knew what she had to do to gain her happy ending. One-Shot. [Based on episodes 147-148 of canon]


**DISCLAIMER:** _I don't own Inuyasha. It's the property of Rumiko Takahashi. _

* * *

Kikyou quietly opened the shrine doors and shut them as easily. Her usually serious face was lighted up by a smile. Her hazel eyes glowed with a strange emotion. She pulled out the Shikon no Tama that lay concealed in the voluminous folds of her haori. There was a lot of work to be done. She stared at the jewel, smooth and round like a marble, radiating a purplish pink light. This little artifact was the key to her life and also the source of all her problems. Should it disappear, she would be able to live a normal life. And this was exactly the goal she was proceeding toward.

The day she met Inuyasha, she had pitied him, however today, he was the most important person in her life. They had made a pact. He had agreed to become a human so that they both could live an ordinary life. He was tired of being a half demon. She was tired of her eternal duty of guarding the jewel. A jewel that was the source of all power and evil. A jewel with the power to grant wishes. Kikyou had decided to experiment with the jewel's powers. If it was able to turn Inuyasha into a human…it would be good but if that did not happen, they would happily accept the jewels decision.

Kikyou sat down to purify the jewel. It would need all the purification it could get before it fell into Inuyasha's hands. It was powerful enough to manipulate his demon blood and she did not want anything to go wrong. She lit the torches, forming a circle around her to light up and purify the air. Mounting the Shikon no Tama on its pedestal, she lowered herself onto the tatami and joined her hands to start the ritual. She concentrated all her energy on to the jewel and imagined a blue light shoot out of her hands and enter the jewel. She could feel the warm glow of the cleansing process envelope her.

* * *

Barely half an hour later, her thoughts began to wander. It became difficult to focus on the task at hand. Various incidents flashed through her mind, right from the beginning of the acquisition of the jewel, to the present. Kikyou felt an emotion of foreboding. Was she doing the right thing? A couple of things gnawed at the back of her mind.

One was Kaede's loss of vision. Demons had attacked the village in her absence. Inuyasha had been near enough to fight off most of them, but Kikyou's haphazard arrival and badly aimed shot had caused her beloved sister to lose an eye. She still felt guilty. Was it good for her to seek happiness when her sister was coping from such a loss? She did not know. She was trying to everything in her power to help heal Keade's wounds. Kikyou had not yet told the child about her decision. She had decided that she would inform her tomorrow morning. She knew that Kaede would not be averse to her resolve. Kaede admired Inuyasha and she was indebted to him, as he had saved her life from the centipede demon.

The other was Onigumo's death. Kikyou had felt immense sorrow clouding her heart when she went into his cave that morning and found that the bandit was dead. She had nursed him back to the point of speaking and all her efforts had drained away. The badly burnt man, thrown away like a sack of rotten potatoes by his comrades had been hideous to look at but Kikyou had fought all the superficial revulsion and tended to him with a pure heart. She did not really care if he was a bandit, for her, he was another human that needed her help and as a miko, she had to fulfill that duty. Onigumo's death had left her sad and pensive but she felt that it was indeed a blessing that the man was finally free of his eternal torment.

Kikyou tried in vain to concentrate on the purification process but now, other thoughts took their place. Thoughts of her and Inuyasha living together, as a husband and wife. She felt a tender smile coming on and her heart fluttered in joy. She remembered the look in his eyes as he caught her, as she stumbled down the jetty, filled with longing and love. Those sweet words of his echoed in her mind.

"So that you can become a normal human too…and be my…"

She had interrupted him at that time. She knew what he was going to say. She had pressed her lips hesitantly to his and he had accepted. His acceptance was all that she needed to enforce this decision. She felt happy that her life was finally becoming stable. No more worries. No more blood baths. Finally, she would be able to live a peaceful life. Kikyou gave a sigh. She really hoped with all her heart that the jewel would comply with her desire. As this thought crossed her mind, a pulse of negativity thrilled through her spine, startling her to the core. Her eyes flew open, just in time, to glimpse a flash of purple pass across the face of the jewel.

Kikyou felt perturbed. How was this possible? Was the jewel not ready to accept her desires? She tried again, thinking about the happy memories with Inuyasha. Once again the purple taint appeared. Did this mean that her union with Inuyasha would not work? The Shikon no Tama designed to grant wishes. Why was it grudging her now? Kikyou's usually calm façade began to crack with tension. She took up the jewel in her hands, studying it. How could this jewel, made up of four positive emotions…react negatively to Love, the strongest of them? She had never doubted its wish fulfilling potency, but now she was not so sure. What was its secret?

Kikyou sat for a long time in her shrine, thinking about the possibilities and probabilities of the artifact. When she finally stepped out of her cocoon, there was a victorious smile on her face. She knew what she had to do.

* * *

Kikyou walked up to the Goshiboku, trembling with anticipation. The noonday sun baked her slender frame. The Shikon no Tama around her neck glowed dully in the sunlight. She watched Inuyasha atop the tree, restless and fidgety, his ears twitching from side to side. He slid down the minute he caught her footsteps on the crunchy gravel.

The couple stared at each other in silence, unspoken words hanging on their lips. Kikyou took Inuyasha's form in for a moment. She wanted to lock this image in her mind forever. He stood tall and defiant, broad shouldered, his amber eyes glinting and the long silvery locks draped on his neck, the lethal claws sticking out and of course…the ears. Bizarre, yet cute and fuzzy…and tempting. Kikyou nearly burst out into fits of laughter thinking of stroking his ears. In fact, she wanted to stroke them now. She covered up her amusement and reached into her haori, earning a strange look from Inuyasha, to bring out the beads of subjugation. He regarded her warily as she held up the necklace.

"Put it around your neck." She instructed.

"What is that thing?" He asked.

"They are the beads of subjugation. They will keep your demon blood in control." She answered.

"But aren't I—" He began as she draped the necklace on him. She took his rough, calloused hand in his and whispered, "Trust me." He blinked in confusion and nodded slowly.

"Good. Now before I give you the Shikon Jewel…" She started, standing on her tiptoes and quickly held each ear between her thumb and forefinger, stroking it gently. Kikyou could feel his form stiffen and then shudder at her touch. By the time she was done playing with his ears, his face had taken on the colour of his robe. She let out a small giggle, feeling abashed at her actions as the poor man tried not to look flustered.

"Sorry about that Inuyasha…I only wanted to feel them…once…before you changed." She explained regaining her composure.

"Th-that was so unlike you!" He exclaimed, looking away.

"Okay. Here is the jewel. Put it around your neck. I shall hold it in my hands. You put your hands on mine. This way the jewel will not be tainted." Kikyou instructed, breathlessly. He did as he was told and gazed at her, the perspiration visible on his forehead.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to become human, Inuyasha?" She asked and her voice quivered.

"Yes. Yes I'm sure, Kikyou." He replied firmly, gazing into her eyes.

"Now, you must repeat whatever I say." She said quickly. Inuyasha appeared baffled at this strange advice, but he nodded.

"Oh, Shikon no Tama" She narrated. "Oh, Shikon no Tama" He said.

"Let not my heart be tainted with desire. Let my resolve remain firm as the mountains."

"Let not my heart be tainted with desire. Let my resolve remain firm as the mountains." He repeated.

"Today, for you I sacrifice…" She went on.

"Today, for you I sacrifice…" He uttered the confusion evident in his voice. Wasn't she going to turn him to a human? What was this talk of a sacrifice?

"My priestess powers." She stated. Inuyasha looked panic-stricken but he quickly caught on.

"My demonic powers."

"Let this sacrifice be accepted by you. May peace prevail." They echoed in unison.

* * *

Kikyou's hands grew bright hot as a blinding white glow emanated from the jewel, enveloping them. At first, it was searing hot, painful like fires of hell. Gradually, the glow faded into nothingness. Kikyou upturned her palms. The Shikon no Tama had vanished. Her body felt unusually heavy. She realized that her spiritual powers had made her light and agile. Their absence had made her in to a normal human. Her gaze fell on Inuyasha's hands, tipped with normal human nails. Tears brimmed at the corner of her eyes. She looked up at Inuyasha and gasped. His long hair had turned jet black. His violet grey eyes stared down at her, full of tenderness and love. His robe had lost its red-orange tinge to become a plain maroon. This was how he had appeared to her when they had first met.

"Inuyasha." Kikyou whispered wrapping him in a tight embrace, relishing the warmth of his body, letting the tears flow.

"Kikyou. I love you. Will you be my wife?" He said softly, wrapping his strong arms around her, gently stroking her raven locks.

"Yes. A thousand times over." She replied sobbing joyfully.

This was their joy, their world. A beginning of a new journey and life. All of this was made possible by their sacrifice. Kikyou had thought deep and hard the night before. Her wisdom had given her insight on what lay beneath the surface of the jewel. Midoriko had wished to destroy those demons thus creating the Shikon Jewel from her soul. Her wish was to destroy them but she ended up sacrificing her life instead.

So what would happen if they sacrificed something instead of asking for a wish? Would their wishes be granted?

That was what precisely happened.

Inuyasha raised his beloveds chin, gazing adoringly into her eyes. His head dipped down, taking in the sweet taste of her lips.

Underneath the Goshinboku, Inuyasha and Kikyou kissed passionately, sharing the first saccharine moments of their new life.

* * *

**A/N: How was it, guys? Please review! ^_^**

**I know that "if there was no Naraku" plot has been done to death but I wanted my story to stand out and basically be a little different. **

**I needed Onigumo to die in this story (before he asks the demons to swallow him) so that IY and Kik finally have their happy ending. If that hadn't happened this would have become a painfully long and tragic chapter fiction which I DID NOT WANT. **

**I feel that Inu/Kik have every right to be happy and did not deserve all that they went through. Hope my little effort has pleased all Inu/Kik fans! :)**


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